Tooth-brush.



No. 728,048. 'PATENTED MAY 12, 1903. G. A. TORRANGE L G. s. STONE.

TOOTH BRUSH. APPLIcTIoN FILED FEB. 16, 1903.

A N0 MODEL.

Mmmm

un; f..

www

W/ TNE SSE S.'

A TTOH/VEYS.

Turns Patented May 12, 193.-

Fries.

lTOOTH-BRUSH.

SPECIFICATION-formng partvof Letters Patent No.,728,0'48, dated May 12, 1903.

Application lecl February 16,1903. Serial No. 143,562. ('No model.) n l n To all whom t may oon/cern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES A. TOR- RANon and GEORGE S. STONE, of Talmage, in the county of Otoe and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tooth-Brushes, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in tooth-brushes, and has for its object to provide a tooth-brush so constructed as to feed an antiseptic solutionfto the bristles thereof for the prevention of disease.

Our invention consists of a tooth-brush pro' vided with a hollow memberl havingan in'- closed measuring-chamberand suitable valves and connections for regulating the admission and discharge of an antisepticliquid from said inclosed chamber to the bristles of the brushhead. It further consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure lis a top plan view, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is an enlargedA sectional view of the measuring-chamber. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line.. o@ no of Fig. 3.

A represents a tooth-brush head provided with bristles or other rubbing means and having a small opening or passage o. drilled through it from end to end. The handle end of said head is provided with a tubular neck or extension A', which is reduced and thread; ed at a' and further reduced and threaded, as at a2. Said neck or extension is hollowed' or bored out to form a chamber A2, the for. ward end of said chamber having a small* opening a3 in alinement with and ,communicating with the passage a. Communicating with said opening a3 is a curved passage a4, which extends downwardly to the lower face of the brush-head', opening among the bristles. While we have shown only one of such curved passages, it is obvious that more than one may be used, connecting at various ppi/nts with the passage a. The hollow handler-.Biais provided with an internal thread at its open end and is designed to be screwed on the threaded reduced portion o. of the neck A.

'A cap a5, having a small opening a6 through its center, is screwed on the threaded extension a2 to form the rear head of the inclosed chamber A2.

A small rod C, which extends through cap d5 and passing through the chamber A2 in the tubular neck A enters the small hole or passage a, drilled through the brush-head, to the outside thereof and terminates in aknob or ball c. Within the chamber A2 the rod C vis provided with enlargements c o2, which act as valves tocover and `uncover' thesmall openings co3 and a6 in the front and rear heads, respectively, of said chamber..W As lstated, the valves may beV enlargements of` the,4 rod C 5 but they may be made separateV and of any suitable size and shape and material and rigidly secured to said rod. They are so positioned with respect to the rod within the casing or chamber A2 that one is normally open and the other closed. A coiled spring D is fitted within the chamber A2, bearing at one end against the rear head` or cap a5 and atits other end against the valve c', forcing itvnormally against the front head of chamber A and closing the opening therethrough. As stated, the ,rod C extendsthrough both lheads ofthe chamberAby reason of which the said rod will be guided in its movement and? always maintain the valves in their proper place. Y The head a5 is, as stated, preferably made in the form of a threaded cap screwing on the rear end of the chamber A2, whereby it may be readily taken off to permit the inserting or removing of the springD.

.The hollow handle will be loaded with a ysparingly soluble condensed antiseptic in 'stickor table form, the object being to allow the introduction of water several times before the antiseptic is entirely exhausted. The inclosed chamber A2 is tov be made to contain any specified number of minims, and the coiled spring is to belsuficiently strong to hold the valve c in direct contact with front head and prevent leakage when not in use. It will be seen that the valve c is always normally seated .by the spring, thus closing the opening through the front head and leaving the opening in the rear head a5 normally open to allow the entrance into the chamber A2 of the antiseptic solution to fill the same, the hollow handle having been previously illed with water to act on the condensed antiseptic sticks or tablets. Now when it is desired to use the brush the knob or ball con the end of rod C is pressed inwardly, unseating the valve c and seating the valve c2, closing communication from the hollow handle to the chamber A2 and permitting the measured contents of said chamber to be fed to the bristles of the brush. When pressure on the knob or ball cis removed, the spring forces the valve c to its seat, closing the opening in front head of the chamber and unseating the valve c2, thus allowing the chamber A2 to become filled or charged again with the antiseptic solution.

lVhile the construction shown is the preferred one, yet itis obvious that the pushrod and spring can be differently arranged and attain the same results without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention.

By our improved construction of brush we provide one that will be particularly useful to busy people and the traveling public and one which will act as a safeguard and preventive against disease.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Atooth-brush comprising head and handle members,one of which is hollow and adapted to contain an antiseptic solution, the head member having a passage leading to the bristles, an inclosed measuring-chamber within one of said members, said chamber having openings communicating respectively with the passage leading to the bristles and to the interior of the hollow member, valves adapted to normally close the openings communicating with the bristles ot the brush and interior of the hollow member, and means for opening and closing said valves.

2. A tooth-brush comprising head and handle members,one of which is hollow and adapted to contain an antiseptic solution, the head member having bristles and a passage leading to said bristles, an inclosed measuringchamber within one of said members having openings communicating respectively with the passage in the head member and with the interior of the hollow member, valves operatively connected to cover and uncover the openings in said chamber, one of said valves being normally opened and the other closed, and means for seating and unseating said valves.

3. A tooth-brush comprising head and handle members,one of which is hollow and adapted to contain an antiseptic solution, the head member having a passage leading to the bristies, a measuring-chamber Within said head member, said chamber having openings communicating respectively with the passage leading to the bristles and with the interior of the hollow member, valves operatively connected and located adjacent to the openings in said chamber and adapted to cover and uncover said openings, the valve controlling the opening communicating with the passage leading to the bristles being normally closed and the other valve normally open, a spring for normally seating the valve controlling the opening to the bristle-passage, and means for unseating said valve and simultaneously seating the valve controlling communication with the interior ofthe hollow member, whereby a fixed quantity of the solution may be fed to the bristles of the brush.

4. A tooth-brush,comprising a head and a hollow handle, said head provided with a neck having a measuring-chamber therein, said chamber having front and rear heads and provided with openings in said heads communicating respectively With the hollow portion of the handle and a passage leading from the neck to the bristles of the brush, a rod passingthrough said openings in the measuring-chamber heads, valves mounted on said rod and so positioned as to close the opening in one head and simultaneously uncover the opening in the opposite head, and means for causing movement of said rod to seat and unseat the valves.

5. A tooth-brush comprising a head and detachable hollow handle, said head provided with a tubular neck, an inclosed measuringchamber within said neck and having openings in its forward and rear heads communieating respectively with the hollow portion of the handle and a passage leading from the tubular neck to the bristles of the brush, a rod passing through the openings in the heads, valves controlling said openings mounted on said rod and so positioned that when the valve controlling the opening leading to the passage which leads to the bristles is seated, the valve controlling the opening to the holf low portion of the handle will be unseated, a spring for normally seating one of said valves, and means connected with said spring for moving the same to seat and unseat the 1'e spective valves whereby a measured quantity of the solution contained in the hollow handle may be fed to the bristles of the brush.

6. A tooth-brush comprising a head and a detachable hollow handle, a threaded tubular extension or neck projecting rearwardly from said head and having therein a measur ing-chamber closed at its front and rear ends, said front and rear ends provided with openings, the opening in the front end of said chamber communicating with a passage eX- tending through said head and also with a passage leading to the bristles, a rod passing through the openings in the front and rear ends of the chamber, valves controlling said openings mounted on said rod Within the measuring-chamber, and so positioned that when the valve controlling the opening in the TOO front end of the chamber is seated, the .Valve contained in the hollow handle may be fed to controlling the opening in the rear head will the bristles of the brush. be unseated, a spring for controlling the valve Y covering the opening in the front end of the Ah CE' 5 measuring-chamber, and means connected to said rod for longitudinally moving the same Witnesses: to seat and unseat the respective valves, CARL G. ASHTON, whereby a measured quantity of the solution W. H. NORTON. 

